Bet Your Boots

by Starla Kaye

He stopped in the doorway and their gazes locked. He’d unsnapped his shirt and it dangled at his sides so she could savor almost every inch of his work-hardened chest. Yellowish-purple bruises banded his ribs. He had to be hurting.

  As if he read her thoughts, he said, “I’ll live. I’ve been busted up bad before. A few sprained ribs are nothing.” He walked into the big room, removed his shirt and tossed it toward the dresser. His hands moved to unbuckle his belt and then to unzip his jeans. “I figure we’ll both be feeling some discomfort when we do this.”

  She couldn’t stop staring at his long, thick cock. She wanted to touch it, play with it, and have him ram it deep inside her. She patted the bed next to her. “Why don’t you stretch out here, cowboy? Let me play nurse a while. Kiss your aches and pains.”

  He shed his jeans in a flash, groaned a bit with the movement, but joined her on the bed quicker than she’d thought he’d be able to do. Determined man. She liked that. The second he was settled, she snuggled against him, draped a leg over his.

  Cole reached down to cup her still stinging bottom with the hand that had spanked her. He squeezed just a bit. “You’ve got a real spankable bottom, sweetheart,” he said gruffly.

  Mandie wrapped her hand around his shaft, played her fingers up and down the vein running the length. “I’m not sure having a spankable bottom is a compliment. Nor is saying that you sure know how to give a spanking a real compliment.” She leaned over to kiss the tip of his cock, swirled her tongue around and enjoyed hearing him moan.

  He dropped his hand away from her bottom and fisted the sheets at his sides. “Are you getting even with me for burning your butt?” he asked. She took him into her mouth and massaged his balls. He arched upward, grimacing at the pain to his ribs.

  She worked him determinedly until he couldn’t lie still, until he was groaning and grunting. Until he grabbed hold of her head and gritted out, “Stop! I don’t want to shoot into your mouth. I want to be inside you.”

  Immediately she pulled free and lifted up to straddle him.

  He stopped her, gritting out, “Nightstand drawer. Condom.”

  She wanted to get on with it, but she knew he was right. In less than a minute she had the condom and had rolled it onto his thick shaft. Then she straddled him again and heheld his rod to her and she slid down in one quick slide.

  He sighed and pinched his eyes tightly closed for just an instant. “Damn, you’re tight.”

  Mandie hissed as her lower, very sore cheeks pressed against his legs. But it didn’t stop her from enjoying the moment. “And you’re so big.” She moaned, felt so full.

  They both might have wanted to take things slower this time, but that’s not how it worked out. He gripped her hips and forced her to ride him. She didn’t resist at all. She bucked on top of him nearly as hard and fast as he’d been bucked around the arena yesterday. She was sweating, grunting.

  He was sweating, grinding, searching. “I’m… I’m… Oh hell!”

  Finally they came, one after the other. Intensely. Frantically.

  When she could manage it, Mandie eased off him and settled next to him. She laid her head on his chest. “Can I sleep here tonight?”

  He put a hand on the back of her head, threaded his fingers through her hair. “You’ve had a tough night. Got your sweet butt spanked and had to take the lead just now.” He leaned over to kiss the top of her head. “Yes, you can stay here. I want you to stay here.”

  “Did you spank your ex-wives?” she asked quietly. She wondered how he would take her question.

  His hand stilled on her head. “No. Tanya, my first ex, was the sweetest woman. We never argued, never raised our voices to each other. Except… Except when she decided to accept Sam’s apology for having been an idiot. She forgave him for not wanting to settle down earlier, for not thinking he was ready to be a father to their baby.”

  Mandie knew the story. Victoria had told her how his buddy hadn’t been able to give up the rodeo circuit and settle down when his girlfriend had told him she was pregnant. They’d all been friends. Cole hadn’t given up the rodeo either, but he’d talked her into marrying him. He’d been determined to give the baby a father’s name. They hadn’t loved each other, but he’d loved that baby. It had cost him a lot to give Tanya the divorce and let her marry Sam, let Sam become the father he should have been all along.

  “I’m sorry,” she whispered and gently hugged him.

  “Anyway, I never put a hand to her bottom. She never deserved it.” He stiffened, shifted his thoughts to his second ex-wife. “If ever a woman needed a regular bottom warming, it was Danielle. But I really didn’t like her enough to waste the effort.”

  “You’ve spanked me three times now. So what does that mean? I’m worth the effort?” She could still feel the heat from his spanking, probably would until morning.

  “It means you needed your butt tanned and I got the job done.”

  They weren’t the words she’d wanted to hear, but he softened the response by kissing the top of her head again. “Now go to sleep, sweetheart, before I decide to spank you again for disturbing my peace.”

  Chapter Seven

  It had been a long time since Cole had slept clear through the night with a woman, especially one who draped herself over him. He felt Mandie’s soft breaths against his bare chest and gently lay a hand on her head. Content. When had he last felt this way with a woman? Had he ever? He didn’t think so. His relationship with Tanya had only involved sex one time and they’d both felt uneasy about it, as if they’d both betrayed Sam. So she’d slept in her own room most of their brief marriage. And Danielle. They’d been hot and wild for the first month of their marriage. Young and stupid. After that the marriage was more one of just tolerating each other. How sad was that?

  He heard Mandie’s slight sigh and smiled into the semi-darkness of the room. She was messing with his life, playing havoc with his good sense. His sister had forced them together. That still pissed him off, but he’d kind of forgiven her already. Because Mandie James had grown on him. They were from different worlds, different lifestyles. Yet she accepted him for who he was, even the part of him that believed in spanking. And she sure as hell drove him crazy in bed.

  He shifted his gaze to the partially opened window and saw dawn creeping slowly up the sky in shades of pink against shades of blue. The ranch would be coming to life with his hands dragging themselves out of bed to get the myriad of chores done. He should be helping. Yet his body rebelled at the thought. His ribs still ached and his head still throbbed a bit. But he couldn’t baby himself much longer, although his men wouldn’t care.

  Mandie moved just a little, her arm reaching across him in a possessive hug. He winced, but then her grasp loosened. Her arm remained in place and the nerves in his body tingled everywhere she touched him. His heart raced. If she moved her knee upward another inch… .

  “Deep thoughts, cowboy?” she asked in a sleepy whisper that startled him. Her fingers danced along his left side.

  Deep? What he wanted was to be deep inside her. This time, though, he’d rather be on top, be the one in charge. Except doing that with his sore ribs right now just might kill him.

  “Did you get any sleep?” She inched closer, rubbed against his leg. “Did I bother you during the night? I tend to be a bed hog.”

  He felt the pulsing of her lower lips as her arousal built, smelled her scent even more. He bit back a groan. “Yeah, you do have a problem with observing someone else’s personal space.” When she started to shift away, he clamped a hand on her bare bottom and held her in place. “I’m okay with that, though. Stay put.”

  She settled back down and moved her hand to play with the spattering of hair around his navel. “This is nice. This just laying here and not rushing to get up is really nice.” She traced his belly button with a finger and made his stomach quiver, which made her giggle. “I like touching you. All hard man.”

  And damn if he didn’t like her touching him. “Hard man is
right. Getting harder by the second.” He squeezed her bottom. “Still sore?”

  She tilted her head up to look at him. “Not really. But I haven’t forgotten the spanking or why you did it.”

  He lightly swatted her bottom and nodded approval. “Glad to hear that.” He swatted her again, enjoying the way she sucked in a breath, wriggled against him again.

  “Stop that,” she gasped, not pushing his hand away.

  “You have such a nice ass. I like touching it.” He couldn’t resist one final light swat. “Spanking it.”

  She squirmed even more, breathed rapidly. “Let’s get beyond that.”

  He shifted his hand to rub her back, just enjoying touching her anywhere.

  “You’re a good man, Cole. Your men respect you. Your aunt adores you; even your sister admires you.” She gave him a sassy smile and trailed her hand lower down his body, slipping it around his already hardening cock. “As for me… Well, I’m pretty partial to the way you….”

  “I’m beginning to think you’re insatiable.” He bucked upward and groaned as she gently moved her hand up and down his shaft. “I kind of like that about you.”

  She leaned over to lick the head of his shaft. “Only kind of?”

  It only took her another minute and she had him forgetting all of his aches and pains except one he absolutely had to take care of.

  Cole gritted his teeth in determination and rolled her beneath him. She didn’t protest at all. Other than to spread her legs wide, wiggle to help him as best she could, and demand, “Hurry up!”

  The sun was up and shining in across the bed when Cole finally slid from her body, finally collapsed next to her. Mandie couldn’t believe he’d lasted so long, knowing he’d still been hurting. It had been so good, though. No. So great.

  She stretched like a contented cat, nearly purred. Contented, for the moment. Covered in perspiration, she smiled at the high ceiling. “Not a bad way to start a day. I could get real used to it.”

  He was still breathing hard, quiet a moment. Then, almost against his will, he said, “You might as well move in here while you’re at the CW. Since we’re evidently going to do this affair thing.”

  She rolled onto her side and frowned at him. “We don’t have to. We could just look at this latest wham-bam-thank-you-ma’am moment as our last time.”

  “Wham-bam-thank-you-ma’am moment?” He cocked an eyebrow and then reached to tuck a strand of her hair behind an ear. “No, this is probably a huge mistake, but I want you here in my bed for the rest of the summer.”

  “I’ve made my share of huge mistakes, too, Cole. And maybe this is another one. Maybe not.” She leaned over to briefly kiss him before wiggling off the bed. “No strings. No false promises. Let’s just enjoy each other while we can. Then at the end of the summer, I’ll head on down the road. Leave you in peace.”

  “We’ll talk about that later. I want you moving in here today.” All hesitance was gone from his voice now. This was a man used to obedience.

  “Bossy, aren’t you?” But a shiver of delight wriggled through her.

  “Yes.”

  “Okay. So long as you understand this isn’t anything permanent.”

  She hurried into the bathroom but thought she heard him grumble in disgruntlement. About their plan for nothing but fun and good sex?Because maybe she was growing on him? Maybe he didn’t want her to leave so quickly? She’d have to think about her own opinions, about her own feelings for the rancher she hadn’t expected to like but was growing pretty darn fond of.

  * * * * *

  Until she came back to his house late that afternoon and found him gone. Until she found a hastily scrawled note to her on his bed. He’d ordered her to move into his home and then he’d suddenly decided he needed to leave the ranch. Now she was upset with him.

  Hurt and mad at the same time, Mandie plopped down on the side of the still rumpled bed and pulled her cell phone from the pocket of her shorts. She punched Victoria’s speed dial number.

  Victoria answered on the second ring, sensing something was wrong and obviously reading the caller ID. “What’s he done now?”

  “Took off.”

  “Took off? I don’t understand.”

  Mandie looked at herself in the mirror above the triple dresser across from the bed. Tears shimmered in her eyes. “We had such a great morning, early morning, that is. He told me to move in here with him…for the summer. And now he’s gone.”

  “One step forward, Mandie. A dozen steps back. Yes, that sounds like Cole.”

  “If he didn’t want me here—“

  “He does or he wouldn’t have said it. Stupid man is just woman-shy. Afraid of getting burned again, doesn’t trust his judgment. Exactly why I wanted you to help him.” Victoria muttered something uncomplimentary about her brother. “Be patient with him, okay?”

  “I’m falling in like with him,” Mandie said unhappily.

  “In love?”

  “In like. Maybe. Right now I’m not sure I even like him.” She looked around his room. He had great furniture, but the rest of the room was pretty blah. No pictures. But he was a man. A tough man with a wounded heart.

  “I heard that sigh,” Victoria interrupted. “You’re starting to forgive him for being an idiot. Good. Hang in there until he comes back. Deal with your therapy sessions. He’ll be back.”

  “Can I be mad at him when he gets back?” Mandie swiped at the tears. Her heart really did feel pinched. But she knew she’d deal with him when he returned to the ranch.

  * * * * *

  Cole turned his pickup truck on the final stretch of road leading to the CW. Nerves tightened in his stomach. He shouldn’t be nervous about returning to his own ranch, but damn if he wasn’t. He’d left the day after helping with one of Mandie’s sessions and after she’d ended up spending the night with him. He’d told her to move in with him, and then he’d ducked out on her. She’d expected him to help her again the next day, but he’d needed distance. His feelings for her were becoming complicated. So he’d decided on the spur of the moment to drive down to Dalhart for a horse auction. He’d ended up being gone a week.

  He pulled to the side of the road, the heart of the ranch within sight. He didn’t see any signs of Mandie and her group. Good? Bad? Good, definitely good. He wasn’t ready to face her again. He’d taken the chicken way of avoiding her by leaving without a good reason. He didn’t really want to purchase more horses right now. But she was making him feel things he wasn’t up to feeling again. It scared the hell out of him to think he was starting to fall Stetson over boots for the little romance therapist.

  Disgusted with himself, he shifted back onto the road and drove straight to his house. He’d barely managed to turn off the engine when his Aunt Bessie came out onto the porch, looking straight at him. How she always seemed to know when he was around boggled his mind. He stepped out of the truck, wincing a little at the stretch of his rib cage. It was getting better, but he was far from a hundred percent.

  “Afternoon, Bessie.” He tried to sound nonchalant, when he was actually kind of wary by this prompt greeting of hers.

  She planted her hands on her thin hips. “It’s about time you got yourself back here, young man.”

  Young man? “It’s not like I was on vacation. I had business to tend to.” Okay, that was not entirely true. He’d spent most of the week holed up in a hotel room, researching on his laptop. Checking out some other horse auctions, looking for some fencing supplies, and learning more about the romance therapy business. And he’d spent some time with a couple of his old rodeo buddies now running a ranch near Dalhart.

  “Buy any new livestock?”She studied him curiously as he walked closer. “Don’t see a horse trailer. They being shipped?”

  He avoided looking directly at her. “Didn’t find anything I was all that interested in buying.”

  “Are you at least feeling better by now? Those bruised ribs healing?” She stopped him from walking by her and studied him with
her blurry gaze.

  “They’re coming along.” He tried to ease past her with his duffle bag.

  “In case you’re wondering where Dr. Mandie and her clients are, they’re out poolside.” She frowned up at him. “She’s been worried about you, not that she’s said anything. I think you hurt her by taking off out of the blue like that. And I don’t like that at all, Cole Whitlock. Not at all. She’s a real sweet young woman.”

  “Yes, I know. I just… I….”

  “She’s nothing at all like that money-hungry Danielle. Or like poor Tanya.” Bessie gave him a sad look of understanding. “She’s got heartaches of her own she’s been dealing with. You’re not the only one ever been hurt, you know.”

  “What heartache?” Damn. He’d evidently been so tangled up in his own past problems with his exes he’d not seen beyond Mandie’s normally bubbly personality. He’d known she was having issues with her mother and with her business partners. I’ve made my share of huge mistakes. Her words flashed into his mind. Now he really felt bad about running away, which is exactly what he’d done.

  “Not my place to tell,” Bessie stated bluntly. “Just don’t you be hurting my sweet Mandie this summer.” She heaved a sigh. “I can accept you two being together, sharing your bedroom—not that it’s really right. You both have needs, I understand that. You both have inner wounds to heal, I understand that, too. I just don’t want to see either of you hurting again when she leaves the end of August.”

  His gut tightened. He’d been avoiding thinking about Mandie leaving when her summer camps were finished. He’d fled the ranch, the state, because he’d been avoiding even sharing his bedroom. Except that he’d been in misery every night away from her. What a hell of a mess!

  He finally managed to move by his aunt and headed up to his bedroom with his duffle bag. He froze in the doorway. Signs of Mandie were everywhere. She liked light in a room, so she’d opened the mini blinds he never remembered to open. She’d arranged photos of he and Victoria, Victoria and herself, he and Bessie, and of a stern-looking woman he assumed was her mother on the triple dresser. Books she was reading sat in a stack on the nightstand she’d evidently claimed as her own. And when he walked into the bathroom, he found her lotions, make-up, and other girlie stuff neatly lined up on one end of the double vanity.